Needle board

ABSTRACT

A needle board in which a board-like holder has a plurality of openings for supporting needles; there being a plurality of needles in each opening held in abutting contact with one another.

Waited States Patent Scott [451 Aug. 1, 1972 NEEDLE BOARD [56] References Cited [72] Inventor: Perry E. Scott, North Adams, Mass. UNITED STATES PATENTS [73] Assignee: Crompton & Knowles Corporation, 1,742,133 12/ 1929 Chase ..28/4 R Worcestex, Mass. 1,934,649 11/1933 Walsh ..28/4 R Primary ExaminerLouis K. Rimrodt Flledi y 11, 1971 Attorney-Howard G. Garner, Jr.

[ 1 pp 4 32 57 ABSTRACT [52] U s CH 28/4 R A needle board in which a board-like holder has a plu- [5 1 Elk .CH 18/00 rality of p g for pp g needles; there being a [58] w 28/4 72 2 plurality of needles in each opening held in abutting contact with one another.

NEEDLE BOARD- BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to needle boards for use in needling machines, particularly in needle felting machines. The needle board comprises a holder made of a wooden board or strip with a large number of openings for supporting the needles.

Needling machines commonly comprise a flat bed plate over which a felt or other material to be needled is moved. The bed plate has a series of openings for receiving the needles of the needle board which is secured to a reciprocating beam above the bed plate. The needles project downwardly from the holder in parallel relation to each other and to the reciprocation movements of the beam. A flat stripper plate is interposed between the needle board and the bed plate and has openings through which the needles extend.

In order to increase production in needling machines, the number of needle penetrations for a given area per unit of time must be increased. Efforts to increase the number of needle penetrations have resulted in very wide machines or an increase in the reciprocation rate of the needle board. Both of these solutions have to contend with acceleration and deceleration forces which are greatly increased with increased mass and speed. One way to solve this problem is increase the number of needles in the needle'board but there is a limit as to how many openings can be drilled in the needle holder without seriously affecting the strength or rigidity of the holder. In addition, the stripper plate and bed plate have to have matching openings for each needle. The openings in the stripper and bed plates have to be aligned with the needles which requires great precision in manufacturing of the parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A principal object of the present invention is the provision of a needle board having an increased number of needles without any of the above mentioned disadvantages.

The object of the invention is accomplished by providing more than one needle in each opening in the needle holder. The needles in each opening are in abutting contact with each other but the material penetrating ends of the needles are spaced. In this way, each needle functions independently and the number of openings in the needle board will stay the same in spite of an increase in the number of needles and may even be reduced. The openings in the stripper plate and bed plate are made to correspond to the openings in the needle board so that a corresponding opening in the stripper plate or bed plate will receive all of the needles from the matching opening in the needle board.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon a reading of the detailed description in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a needle board made in accordance to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section on an enlarged scale through a set of needles in one of the openings in the needle board, on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3' is a view similar to FIG. 2 and showing a modification wherein the needle board opening is bilobate and contains two needles;

FIG. 4" is a view similar to FIG. 3 and showing a second modification wherein the needle board opening is trilobaland contains three needles;

FIG. 5 shows a further modification wherein a needle board opening contains a snug fitting insert for supporting the needles within the opening; and

FIG. 6shows a still further modification wherein an insert has a multilobate inner surface for supporting a plurality of needles and a circular outer surface for insertion in a circular opening in the needle board.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIG. 1, a portion of the needle board of the present invention is shown, being indicated generally by the reference character 10. The needle board 10 comprises. a holder 12 having circular openings 14 extending therethrough and a plurality needles 16 in each opening 14. Needles 16 in each opening have upper shank portions 17 which are preferably round and fit tightly in the opening in abutting contact with each other. The lower portions of needles 16 are reduced in cross section and have pointed ends 19 so that the material penetrating portions of the needles extending from each opening are spaced from one another and function independently. The lower ends of needles 16 are preferable barbed, particularly when used in needle felting machines. FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate how three abutting needles appear in one opening. The upper ends of needles 16 have horizontally extending arms 18 which prevent the needles from going down through the openings 14.

The needle beam 10 is applied to a needling machine such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,930,100 to E. C. Rust, Jr. In such a machine, the needle beam is reciprocated vertically so that the lower ends of the needles 16 pass through openings 20 in a stripper plate 22 and openings 24 in a bed plate 26. Openings 20 and 24 are aligned with openings 14 of the needle board. The material to be needled passes between the stripper plate 22 and the bed plate 26. This material is indicated by the reference numeral 28.

Referring to FIG. 3, a first modification comprises a holder 12 which has bilobate openings 30 for holding two'needles 16, one in each lobe. Openings 30 can be made by drilling two overlapping holes in the holder.

A third modification, as shown in FIG. 4, comprises a holder 12 having trilobate openings 32 for holding three needles 16, one in each lobe. Opening 32 can be made by drilling three overlapping holes in holder 12.

A fourth modification comprises inserts 34 which fit snugly in openings 14 of holder 12 wherein a plurality of needles 16 fit tightly within each insert as shown in l. A needle board for use in needling machines comprising:

a. a needle holder provided with a plurality of openings extending therethrough; and

b. a plurality of needles supported'by said holder wherein at least some of said openings have a plurality of said needles extending through individual openings in said holder so that said needles in said individual openings are held in abutting contact with one another by the walls of said openings.

2. A needle board as set forth in claim 1 wherein some of said openings have at least three of said needles passing therethrough.

3. A needle board as set forth in claim 1 wherein said openings are circular.

4. A needle board as set forth in claim 3 wherein each of said needles has a cylindrical shank portion which is in contact with the walls of said opening through which it passes and is also in contact with the other needles passing through said opening, whereby said needles are held securely within said opening.

5. A needle board as set forth in claim 1 wherein said openings are trilobate and there is a needle in each lobe.

6. A needle board as set forth in claim 1 wherein said openings are bilobate and there is a needle in each lobe.

7. A needle board as set forth in claim 1 comprising an insert in said opening between the walls thereof and said needles for holding said needles within said openings.

8. A needle board as set forth in claim 7 wherein said needle board openings are circular and wherein each of said inserts has a circular outer surface and a trilobate inner surface, and there is a needle in each lobe.

9. A needle board as set forth in claim 7 wherein said needle board openings are circular and wherein each of said inserts has a circular outer surface and a bilobate inner surface, and there is a needle in each lobe. 

1. A needle board for use in needling machines comprising: a. a needle holder provided with a plurality of openings extending therethrough; and b. a plurality of needles supported by said holder wherein at least some of said openings have a plurality of said needles extending through individual openings in said holder so that said needles in said individual openings are held in abutting contact with one another by the walls of said openings.
 2. A needle board as set forth in claim 1 wherein some of said openings have at least three of said needles passing therethrough.
 3. A needle board as set forth in claim 1 wherein said openings are circular.
 4. A needle board as set forth in claim 3 wherein each of said needles has a cylindrical shank portion which is in contact with the walls of said opening through which it passes and is also in contact with the other needles passing through said opening, whereby said needles are held securely within said opening.
 5. A needle board as set forth in claIm 1 wherein said openings are trilobate and there is a needle in each lobe.
 6. A needle board as set forth in claim 1 wherein said openings are bilobate and there is a needle in each lobe.
 7. A needle board as set forth in claim 1 comprising an insert in said opening between the walls thereof and said needles for holding said needles within said openings.
 8. A needle board as set forth in claim 7 wherein said needle board openings are circular and wherein each of said inserts has a circular outer surface and a trilobate inner surface, and there is a needle in each lobe.
 9. A needle board as set forth in claim 7 wherein said needle board openings are circular and wherein each of said inserts has a circular outer surface and a bilobate inner surface, and there is a needle in each lobe. 